WINONA LAKE — An idea to allow kids with and without disabilities to play together in Winona Lake will finally be fully realized after 13 years.
Representatives from Winona Lake town leadership, the Winona Lake Park and Recreation Department and Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony at Winona Lake Limitless Park on Tuesday. The event was to commemorate the start of the last construction stage for WLLP.
Crews should start work on May 6, said Winona Lake Parks and Recreation Board President Kristie Maiers.
As detailed in a parks' department press release, included in the final stage are: "Universally accessible playground completion, with the renovation of the current playground, age-appropriate play areas that enable interaction of all children and a variety of playscapes that engage all senses and environmentally considerate construction; connecting pathways, which enable individuals of all abilities to play side-by-side whereas traditional playground designs often provide challenging routes of travel and require those with disabilities to sit on the sidelines; shade; a picnic shelter; and restrooms.
Park Director Holly Hummitch said work is estimated to be done by late summer.
Before ground was broken Tuesday, Hummitch spoke briefly.
She noted it was a Kosciusko Leadership Academy project, which motivated the start of the park in 2011.
"It was a KLA white paper project for a splash pad partnered with a dream for a boundless playground which birthed what we now call Winona Lake Limitless Park," said Hummitch. "It was a vision of great magnitude, an inclusive recreation destination that involved barrier-free water access and play. It was a space where no one was sidelined from playing with their peers in a space where everyone felt included."
Hummitch then thanked Erin Porter and MaryPat Wallen as well as those behind the white paper project for spearheading the park. She also expressed gratitude to current and former park board members.
"I grew up playing on this park," said Hummitch of what the property was formerly. "This park has my heart. To see this vision come to fruition means more than I could ever write on paper."
Maiers thanked those who gave towards the $1.25 million cost of finishing WLLP.
Those included $500,000 in Indiana Department of Natural Resources Land Water Conservation Fund monies and a $300,000 K21 Health Foundation grant.
Other money came from the AWS Foundation, $40,000; and the Dekko Foundation, $30,000.
Hummitch and Maiers also noted the Dane and Mary Louise Miller Foundation has given more than $207,000 for WLLP over the years, including to help start the park.
Maiers also thanked "individuals within this community and beyond who donated $1, $5, $10."
"So it is a community build project," she said.